21 May 2015

Hydrangea Blues

Once again we have reached the third Thursday of the month, AKA time for the latest edition of the ROY G BIV photo challenge. May's color is blue, so it seemed like a perfect chance to get to know my blue hydrangea better. For years I've been writing about how I purchase one each spring, to place on the windowsill of our kitchen. But the current hydrangea in residence has also spent some time in the studio, where there's more light for photographing and space in which to explore & play a bit.

While blue is my "least favorite" color, I've come to realize that I do appreciate it—immensely—in nature...a sparkling blue sea, the thousand watercolor-like degrees of blue at twilight...and blue hydrangeas. I always marvel at just how many shades of blue the petals of a single hydrangea plant can display, especially as it "ages"...some blooms deepen to violet and ultimately they will take on a green tint. And in doing a little "dissecting" with the X-Acto knife, I realized how even the delicate stems that that support each four-petaled blossom are beautifully nuanced with blue & violet (you can see a smattering in the ceramic palette in the photo above).

I have also been working on a new collection of typography prints recently and thought I'd try out something inspired by blue (though I'm not sure that "hydrangea blue" is among the blue-tinged rainbow created by the colors I fixed at either end of my spectrum—it proved impossible to capture all of the blues that do exist!)...

On the note of varying shades of blue, by chance I came across the following quote in a book I was reading the other day. The observation was made after Earl Shorris drew a connection between a butterfly he had seen in the Mayan jungle a few months before coming across the entry for "blue" in a dictionary of the Maya language:

There are nine different words in Maya for the color blue in the comprehensive Porrúa Spanish-Maya dictionary but just three Spanish translations, leaving six butterflies that can be seen only by the Maya, proving beyond doubt that when a language dies six butterflies disappear from the consciousness of the earth.

— Earl Shorris

"The Last Word"Harper’s MagazineAugust 2000

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And now, back to the hydrangea... Here it is in the studio, where I have recently reorganized the studio tables to form a luxurious three meter-long working space (thickly covered, as you may be able to make out below)...

I also had fun taking apart some recycled organza tea bags from my stash and filling them with fresh hydrangea flowers...

And here are a few closeups... I especially like the layering of the edges of the petals—like sheets of wavy paper (Image 1), the effect of a flurry of "wings" (Image 3), and the way the overlapping of the petals seems to form extra petals between them when they're seen against the light (Image 4).

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A few details in case you are not familiar with the ROY G BIV photo challenge... Artists Jennifer Coyne Qudeen &Julie Boothstarted this project a few years ago. Each month is devoted to a different color of the rainbow, and once we exploreall of these we will move on to other colors later in the year. Everyoneis welcometojoin in the search.Please visit Jennifer& Julie's blogsfor linksto each month's participants. Guidelines are here.

Thanks, Julie! (Btw, I am working on integrating photos into a book at the moment...have yet to see where exactly it will lead though...)And yes, linking something as tangible/magical as a butterfly to the loss of a language so rich was a very poetic - if jarring - way to drive home his point.- Lisa

Thanks, Fiona! And yes, hydrangeas are just gorgeous! I was interested to read about the traditional meanings. On the one hand, they symbolize heartfelt emotions - in particular, gratitude for being understood - but they are apparently also associated with frigidity/heartlessness. I also found this:There remains some debate over the hydrangea’s symbolism–with some connecting it to vanity and boastfulness (perhaps reflecting its abundance of petals and lavish, rounded shape) and others suggesting that a bouquet of hydrangea expresses the giver’s gratefulness for the recipient’s understanding. Still, others suggest it represents anything that’s sincerely heartfelt. Despite this variation in flower meaning, there appears to be an overwhelming consensus that this 4th wedding anniversary flower possesses enduring grace and beauty.Though this is my favorite sentiment (regarding pink hydrangeas in particular), expressed by florist Tan Jun Yong:"The light delicate blush of the petals reminds me of a beating heart, while the size could only match the heart of the sender!"I believe he is referring to the overall effect of the many stems each laden with masses of blossoms (as opposed to a mere, tiny, blossom)!In any case - no matter their "official" meanings - I do love them, and am delighted to be in such good company!- Lisa

How beautiful this is! Your lovely photographs never disappoint but this post is a particularly subtle rendering of the colour of the month and this time they come with a wonderful quote. Compared with the Maya, we have too few words for the colour blue, I think. I tried to make a list and reached about half a dozen, leaving many shades unnamed.

Thank you for stopping by for a look, Margaret. It's funny - I nearly didn't include the quote because it's really more a commentary on language than color, but I'm glad I did as it seems to be what's captured the interest of many readers. A bit of a wake-up call, I suppose - and a reminder to do whatever we can to keep what came before us alive...- Lisa

ARZIGOGOLARE is the second incarnation of my original blog, which I began after The Piazzas of Florence was published. As my focus shifted, the blog has evolved to include glimpses into everyday life in Florence + what's happening in my studio & kitchen.